Commenting on today's announcement of a proposed new EU law on car emissions, Anna Jones, transport campaigner for Greenpeace, said:

"These Brussels bureaucrats must be driven to distraction. They should hang their petrol-heads in shame at their kowtowing to a car industry seemingly obsessed with wrecking the climate.

"The EU has let car manufacturers speed off with a weak proposal that lacks any long-term standards and offers an open road to overweight gas-guzzlers."

The Commission's proposal for a new EU law endorses a short-term target for new cars in 2012 to pump out, on average, no more than 130 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometer driven. This is a weakening of the EU's original target of 120g CO2/km and the proposal fails to put forward any further reductions beyond that date. The proposal also sets out feeble penalties for offending car makers which in Greenpeace's view are unlikely to deter car companies from violating the emission standard. In addition, the full level of penalties will only be reached in 2015, which effectively postpones the implementation of the law by three years.

For more information, contact the Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255.

A coalition of some of Britain's biggest green groups is launching an advertising campaign on Wednesday 9 May attacking environmentally destructive 'bio-fuels'.

The adverts feature a petrol pump held to the head of an orang-utan. "Tell the Government to choose the right biofuel." it says, "or the orang-utan gets it."

The groups believe a misjudged push for the wrong kinds of 'green' fuels could damage the climate and destroy some of the world's last remaining rainforests. Biofuels can be used in place of petrol and diesel - because they can be produced from crops, they could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and can play a small part in reducing emissions from transport.

However a coalition including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, RSPB and WWF, are warning that the government risks implementing an ill-thought out policy which lacks the appropriate safeguards, meaning that the government could be creating more problems than it solves.

Last week the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating that protecting the world's forests is one of the single biggest steps the international community can take to lessen the effects of climate change.

The government proposal - known as the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) - could, in its present form, lead to biofuel production causing the destruction of rainforests and wetlands, not only threatening endangered habitats and species but also releasing far more carbon into the atmosphere than could ever hope to be saved by replacing fossil fuels.

The groups are demanding the obligation is tightened up so that biofuel producers must meet minimum greenhouse gas and sustainability standards, with environmental audits of the whole life-cycle of the fuels, from growing the crop to burning it in the car.

The adverts ask members of the public to write to government and demand tough, compulsory standards.

Dr Douglas Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace, said: "In its current form, this proposal is complacent. It could see biofuel production wrecking the climate rather than helping it, at a time when scientists are warning us that we need to slash emissions to avoid dangerous global warming. The government must sort out this botched plan or risk losing the value that biofuels could offer."

Ed Matthew from Friends of the Earth said: "The risks are so great that biofuels should be the last option to reduce transport emissions, not the first. Not only has the government got its priorities wrong, its biofuels proposals are so weak that they are in real danger of increasing global warming emissions, not reducing them. The word is incompetent."

Dr Mark Avery, Conservation Director at the RSPB, said: "A rush for biofuels could considerably accelerate the destruction of habitats and loss of wildlife in areas where it already at considerable risk. The contribution forests are making to tackling climate change, as well as harbouring rare wildlife, is more than enough to make their protection a priority. Without environmental standards, biofuels are a green con."

John Alker, Senior Public Affairs Officer at WWF-UK said: "A climate change policy that potentially increases rather than cuts CO2 emissions is clearly a nonsense. Biofuels could offer part of the solution to climate change - but government needs to get this policy right in order to do so."

To see a copy of the advert from 0700 on Wednesday visit www.greenpeace.org.uk/biofuels

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For more information contact Greenpeace on 0207 865 8255 or Friends of the Earth on 0207 566 1720.

Reacting to the European Commission’s announcement of mandatory standards on vehicle emissions, Greenpeace campaigner Emily Armistead said:

"The adoption of a European emissions law for cars is welcome, but it's weaker than we'd hoped. The German motor manufacturers strong-armed the EU to water down the proposals with the kind of big business lobbying campaign we're used to seeing in Washington DC, not Brussels. German automakers have shown themselves to be carbon-dinosaurs. The next time Mercedes and BMW claim to be progressive on climate change issues they’ll be laughed out of the room."

The EU today announced plans to introduce mandatory emissions standards for vehicles. Car companies will be forced to achieve a fleet average of 130g of CO2 per kilometre for their trucks and cars by 2012 via improvements in technology. A further 10g/km saving is proposed via 'complementary measures'. At present a voluntary target of 120g/km by 2010 is in place.

The proposals have split the commission, with German industry commissioner Günter Verheugen opposing moves to set a mandatory standard of 120g/km. Intense lobbying by the German motor industry saw that plan scaled back.

Today's announcement marked the start of the process before legislation is finalised.

Emily Armistead continued:

"Now is the time for the British government to make its voice heard. We often hear cabinet ministers saying how climate change is a number one priority for New Labour. If that's true, our government will pressure the EU to adopt a stronger emissions law."

The European fleet emitted an average of 162g/km in 2005.

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Greenpeace press office – 0207 865 8255

Greenpeace today called on the UK government to intervene after European proposals to make cars more fuel efficient were seemingly scuppered by auto-makers. The call comes after Brussels delayed a long-expected announcement on legislation that would force manufacturers to reduce emissions from Europe's cars. Just last week the EU warned that climate change threatens the continent with heat waves and rising sea levels.

EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas had this week intended to announce new measures forcing industry to reduce emissions of European cars to an average of 120g of CO2 per kilometre by 2012. The directive would have replaced the current failing voluntary agreement to reduce emissions to 140g/km by 2008/9. All but a few European car-makers will fail to reach the non-binding target.

The postponement of the announcement comes after Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen contradicted Dimas, telling a French newspaper that there would be no binding vehicle emission standards. European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is said to be seeking a 'consensus'. There are now serious concerns that industry involvement could see mandatory emissions cuts kicked into the long grass.

Greenpeace has now written to environment minister David Milliband asking him to clearly state his support for the mandatory measures. The German environment minister has today indicated that he supports the legislation.

Greenpeace climate campaigner Emily Armistead said: "Governments across Europe, most notably in Britain, claim to be greatly concerned about climate change. Well now is the time to stand up for simple sensible measures that would make an immediate difference. When it comes to emissions from cars, the European Commission has suddenly developed an environmental blind spot. Pressure from environment ministers across the continent could make a crucial difference."

She continued:

"Only last week the EU was warning us that climate change poses a catastrophic threat to the continent, but carbon dinosaurs like Guenter Verheugen threaten to scupper real action. David Milliband should join his German counterpart and speak up now."

Transport is the fastest growing source of emissions in Europe. Department for Transport figures estimate that an average UK fleet efficiency reduction to 120g/km together with a 10% reduction in passenger kilometres could put road transport on track to meet the governments CO2 reduction target of 60% by 2050. The current voluntary agreement, supported by Guenter Verheugen and industry lobbyists, is failing. The Commissions own assessment, based on 2004 data, was that 'the situation is not satisfactory'. Data for 2005 showed that reductions amounted to just 1% since 2004. Fleet average CO2 emissions of cars sold in 2005 stood at 162 g/km. The target is 140g/km by 2008.

The Commission has always claimed that such a failure was likely to lead to binding legislation for carmakers. On January 10th this year the EU committed to reducing of a greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2020.

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Greenpeace press office - 0207 865 8255